The minister of sports, Sunday Dare, has expressed his dissatisfaction over the poor level of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).
He made this known while receiving the Club Owners Association led by its chairman, Barr Isaac Danladi, at his Moshood Abiola Stadium office, Abuja.
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Dare emphasised that a weak national team results when domestic leagues lack a clear governance structure of licensing and enforcement, poor financial controls, and inconsistent standards while hosting the Club Owners Association, led by its chairman, Barr Isaac Danladi, at his Moshood Abiola Stadium office in Abuja.
“We are aware of the efforts made by the NFF and the League Management Company (LMC) to address some of these challenges, but we are not satisfied with the efforts that have been made. The problems, the challenges, have been out there in the open, but we have not seen a commensurate effort and commitment to bring about a league that is virile, profitable, and that fits our reputation as a football -loving nation.
“As the ministry that has the mandate to superintend sports development and set general direction, in terms of policy and initiatives for sports development of which football is major, we have passed our concerns to the necessary administrators, we have had time to sit with them, we’ve had exchange of correspondence and we believe that concerted efforts can bring about the change,” the minister said.
In his remarks, Barr. Danladi applauded Dare’s giant strides in the sports sector over the past 3 years, asserting that the reforms and innovations brought to bear, were instrumental to Nigeria’s scintillating performance in World Athletics Championship in Oregon, and record-breaking feat at the just concluded Commonwealth games in Birmingham.
